Where Do We Go From Here?
by The Rose Duelist
Summary: Grayson is forced to deal with his grief in the aftermath of the battle between his father and the Enchantress. (For the book HERO, which is apparently not a world option I can list this under :( )


**A/N: Just FYI, MC is Cassandra and her superhero name is Enchantress. Happy reading!**

* * *

Though a million miles above, the explosion rattled the shambles of the city of Northbridge below. Purple rippled through the sky in concentric circles, bursting to life from the lavender epicenter. And at the epicenter was his Dad and Enchantress.

Had either of them survived the blast?

Grayson's eyes were glued to the sky. His heart jumped into his throat and his body tensed. He waited. Waited for a sign, any sign to show him that both were alive. He wouldn't ever be able to forgive his Dad if he lived, but Enchantress didn't deserve to die, even if it was in service to protect the people of the city.

"Do you see her?" Grayson heard a voice ask. Meiko Katsaros stepped up next to him, her eyes also searching the violets and lilacs that streaked the sky.

He shook his head, unable to form words. His chest constricted with each second that passed. And each second turned into a minute, followed by another, passing into a half-hour. But yet, he gazed at the sky, waiting. Willing for her to appear.

Finally, an hour had come and gone, but Grayson was still rooted to his spot. Meiko had departed with the few other civilians that had been caught in the crossfire.

"Grayson." A hand gently squeezed his shoulder.

Reluctantly, he turned to see Poppy, eyes wide and filled with sorrow.

"Tell me that wasn't her." He swallowed, doing everything he could to keep his voice from wavering. To keep the despair that threatened to overwhelm him at bay.

"I…" She trailed off, her eyes brimming with tears. A sniffle escaped her. Grayson stared as Dax appeared and pulled Poppy into a hug, his shoulders slumped and expression mournful.

The pit of Grayson's stomach dropped out. His hands clenched into fists and they trembled. His whole body trembled. She was gone. Cassandra was gone.

"Dax, there's gotta be a way, right? To open the Prism Gate?" The Man of Bronze jogged up to the trio, flanked by a Woman in Black, and the Man on Fire.

"You seriously wanna mess with that thing? That's the reason everything turned to shit in the first place," the Man on Fire snapped.

"It could be the only way to get her back." The Man of Bronze shot back. "I guess you don't care though, you just had a score to settle."

"Hey. I don't know any of you but Enchantress got me out of that dungeon that asshole locked me in. I owe her one."

"We should've helped her." The Woman in Black murmured, hugging herself. "With Silas."

"None of us can fly." The Man on Fire barked. "And you're supposing that she survived that."

"Do you not want her to be alive?" The Woman in Black shot back.

Grayson watched the exchange, trying to keep up, but the pain in his heart became more extreme by the second.

"Guys, stop." Poppy interrupted, her voice sharp. She separated herself from Dax and wiped her reddened eyes. "Talos is right. We need to figure out how to get her back. Right, Grayson?" She looked to him, hopeful. But his jaw wouldn't open to let words flow through.

"Grayson can hook Dax up with the prism gate, we can figure out where she's gone, and bam, Enchantress is back." The Man of Bronze rushed.

"If she's alive," The Man on Fire grumbled.

Poppy and Dax through him dirty looks and he shrank back slightly.

It was hope against hope, but Grayson couldn't ignore it. If she were alive, Grayson wanted to find her, to get her back safe and sound. But the prism gate had driven his Dad mad and now Northbridge was in ruins. He couldn't let that happen again because he wanted her. He knew that Cassandra wouldn't forgive him for putting people in danger for her sake.

And maybe he'd find his Dad too. But he wasn't sure he even wanted to.

"Kenji, I don't think that's a good idea." Grayson murmured.

The Man of Bronze froze. "Wait...you know?"

"It's not hard to tell given your personality," the Woman in Black rolled her eyes.

"Can we focus please?" Dax intervened. "What do you mean, Grayson?"

"This is all because my Dad wanted to harness the power of the prism gate. We can't risk Northbridge again."

"I mean he's not wrong. His dad is the reason all of this happened in the first place." The Man on Fire shrugged, then stared daggers at Grayson. "Why didn't you stop him?"

The simmering anger erupted within him, morphing into a rage. Grayson seethed. "Don't you think if I had known what he was going to do I would've stopped him? But it seems like all of you knew before me but no one wanted to clue me in."

Everyone watched him, stunned. Grayson clenched his jaw. He never allowed himself to truly become angry, to dive deep into fury, but he had little ability to keep himself in check at the present moment. Little desire too.

"She was trying to protect you," Poppy spoke up in a small voice.

"And now she's gone. I don't feel protected, I feel lied to!" Grayson shot back. Hurt poured through him, combining with the rage, slowly stamping out the flames. His eyes warmed, tears pushing behind them. His body sagged in exhaustion. It was too much being here, talking. "I just need to be alone right now."

He pivoted and left before any of them could stop him.

His feet carried him past the damaged skyscrapers. Past two-story buildings with busted-out windows. Past overturned cars and over fractured sidewalks. None of it phased him. He just kept moving farther and farther away from the destruction and chaos left in his Dad's wake.

A little part of him had always suspected Cassandra was the Enchantress, perhaps even known it to be true. Ever since the night of the gala when the prism gate first exploded six months ago, something about her was different. And last night when she had come to his apartment, he didn't want to admit it to himself that when she told him she couldn't explain what she was keeping from him, he knew. He knew that she was the Enchantress.

And yet Grayson had said nothing.

Cassandra had come to him searching for solace. A distraction. A moment of respite, of joy, of intimacy. Because she knew that whatever came today, there would be a chance everything would be over. And she had predicted it.

God, he hated himself. He should've said something to her, anything. But the desperation painted on her beautiful face and the need for a soft place to land wordlessly communicated through her eyes had pushed aside any desire to confront her about his suspicions. All he wanted to do was lo—

He couldn't let himself say the words, much less think them.

Stopping, the young man glanced around at his surroundings, immediately recognizing the grassy hill he found himself upon. It was where he and Cassandra had shared their first kiss. She'd suggested — no, insisted — that they leave the party after witnessing a public argument between himself and his Dad, and talk about what Grayson was feeling. She'd convinced him with that brilliant smile of hers. And later, when they had driven to this overlook and they'd kissed, nothing had ever felt so right, so perfect in his life.

Dropping to the ground, Grayson peered out over the landscape. He could see the broken skyscrapers of Northbridge, their dark silhouettes jagged and splintered against the descending sun.

A rush of anger thrashed through him as he memorized every detail of the destruction wrought upon his home. This was all his Dad's doing. Silas Prescott, famed billionaire visionary, poised to change the world. And he did, but not in the way Grayson imagined his Dad wanted to.

How could he have hurt so many innocent people? Just disregarded their lives in pursuit of what? Of boundless energy? Superpowers? This other dimension? What had Silas wanted, needed so desperately that he would have sacrificed everything for it?

Grayson covered his face with his hands and groaned. Once again, tears threatened but he forced them back. He should've done something after the gala, when his Dad's obsession with the prism had grown larger, consuming him, and Grayson witnessed it. But he'd been so busy with The Grand and keeping Bayside away from Silas' redevelopment efforts that he had overlooked it. He had assumed it was a passing thing and his Dad would find the next project to hound over.

It wouldn't have mattered that Cassandra, nor Dax, nor Poppy had told him the truth about his Dad's dealings. Grayson knew he should've confronted Silas regardless. Maybe if he had, then all of this could've been avoided. If he had stopped his Dad from pursuing the prism gate or the crystal, at least fought him in some way, then maybe Cassandra would still be in Northbridge, hopefully alive.

God, he missed her. Knowing she was gone pulled at his heart strings, straining them. He gritted his teeth as images of her flashed through his mind. Her golden hair spread over the pillow next to him; the shy smile on her lips when he tried to kiss her at the gala; her blue eyes alight with excitement at the art exhibition, her body moving in his arms to the music at the opening of The Grand.

It was too much. A few tears rolled down his cheeks. Hastily, the young man wiped them away.

Grayson's hands slipped away from his face and his eyes clouded over as he gazed at the city. None of that mattered. The past was the past and he couldn't change it. It didn't mean he wasn't angry — no, angry was an understatement, he was enraged — and it didn't mean he wasn't heartbroken, but there was only one thing he could do. That was to fix what his Dad had done.

It was midnight by the time he reached the old clocktower. His footsteps echoed off of the stone walls as he ascended the spiral staircase. How many times had Cassandra climbed these same stairs? What had she been thinking each time she did? Was she happy? Sad? Afraid? Whatever it was, one emotion trumped all: the desire to protect others.

Grayson's knuckles rapped on the steel door. Shuffling from within could be heard and briefly, the man wondered how many people were on the other side. He wasn't sure he had the strength to maintain a conversation with more than a few, but at this point, part of him was too apathetic to care. The grief weighing him down made it difficult to bother with politesse and social rules.

The door opened to reveal Dax. He gave Grayson a sad smile. "Come on in."

Dax stepped out of the way as Grayson moved inside. The door clanged shut behind him, but Grayson didn't turn at the startling noise. His attention was taken by the space. Both modern and efficient, he found himself astonished by its combined comfort and efficiency. And surprised by the old Prescott Industries equipment collecting in the make-shift lab space.

"I can explain those," Dax rushed.

Grayson shook his head, "No need." That was for another time.

"I'm glad you texted," Poppy ambled over, her hands clasped in front of her. "We were getting worried."

Dax nodded and slipped his hand into Poppy's.

"I need to know everything." Grayson breathed. "Please."

Poppy nodded and led the way to the lounge area. The pair took a seat on the sofa and Grayson claimed the armchair opposite of them.

"I'm guessing you know that it started the night of the gala when those guys broke in and stole the crystal."

Grayson nodded.

"That night, something happened to Cassandra. I'm still not quite sure, but my best hypothesis is that her body absorbed the energy from the prism gate." Dax explained.

"Like Kenji, and…" Grayson trailed off.

He glanced at Poppy, who nodded. "Kenji, Eva — the woman in black — and Caleb, fire guy. But they're different."

"Why?"

"These are just new abilities that they've gained. Like Spider-Man or Captain America. But with Cassandra, well, she was...I mean...ugh Cassandra's an alien."

Grayson froze. "What?"

Poppy rolled her eyes. "She's from a different dimension. I don't know if that makes her an alien though."

"Basically, humans are carbon-based life forms. Cassandra's molecular structure is prism-based."

"Like the crystal." Grayson guessed.

"Exactly." Dax agreed.

Natalie wasn't of their world. The revelation reverberated through Grayson as he turned it over his mind, comprehending its reality.

"This is what she and Rochelle fought over, I guess?" He put his elbows on his knees and interlaced his fingers.

"She mentioned it?" Poppy pulled at an errant string in the sofa cushion.

"She didn't say what it was about, but it really upset her." Grayson recounted. He'd never seen Cassandra so lost as he had that afternoon. She hardly met his eyes during the conversation. He could see her turning in on herself but simultaneously bursting at the seams. His heart had wrenched in his chest. All he'd wanted to do was take her into his arms and hold her tight. But they'd been at The Grand surrounded by kindergarteners and their families, so all he could do to comfort her was listen, offer advice, and give her a single, chaste kiss.

He should've suggested spending time with her after his meeting. Dinner. A drink. A walk in the park. Anything. But he'd been too nervous of overstepping since they'd never defined what they were doing and he didn't want to scare her off.

Another 'should've'. Another 'what if'. His heart banged against his ribs and a fresh wave of self-loathing surged through him.

"Grayson?" Poppy's voice sliced through his dark thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"We know it's a lot to handle, her being not human and all…" Dax trailed off with a helpless shrug.

Grayson shook his head. "Honestly, that's not what I'm thinking about at all. I think when you've seen your Dad be consumed by supernatural energy, and then superheroes appear, anything is possible. And having seen Cassandra when she was dealing with that...I don't think less of her if that's what you mean. I just wish she felt she could have told me."

"When we found out what your Dad was doing, Cassandra wanted to do everything she could to keep you safe." Poppy leaned forward. "She knew she had to stop Silas, but she wanted to do everything she could not to put you in danger."

"Which meant keeping the truth from me."

"Yeah..."

"Tell me about my Dad. What he was doing."

Dax and Poppy exchanged a look of alarm.

"I need to know, guys." Grayson persisted. "I need to know why Northbridge is leveled and both my Dad and Cassandra are gone."

"Honestly, we don't know why," Poppy confessed.

"But we can tell you the whole scheme," Dax finished.

Grayson nodded. And so gradually, step by step, Dax and Poppy laid out everything Silas had done since the gala. He was behind the "break-in" and the robbery of the crystal. He had created liquid prism at Prescott Industries. He was going to use it to create an army for himself to take over Northbridge, and that's what he'd planned to do that day at the press conference with the mayor before Cassandra and the others had stopped him.

Grayson's head span and his stomach twisted. "And you don't know why he wanted to do all of this?"

"No. But if I were to give it my best guess, I think he wanted to try and go through the Prism Gate." Dax surmised, rubbing the crinkles in his forehead.

This time, Poppy stiffened. "What?!"

"Cassandra mentioned she'd heard voices coming out of the prism gate when Silas had her locked up."

His Dad had locked her up. A wave of nausea rolled through him. Had Silas lost all of his humanity and Grayson had just turned a blind eye?

"I think Silas believed he needed Cassandra to go to the other dimension, knowing where she really came from."

"But why?" Poppy shook her head.

That was the question. Why would his Dad go to the ends of his sanity—

Grayson slumped back against the chair.

"What's wrong, Grayson?"

"Alternate dimensions are alternate timelines, aren't they, Dax."

"Sure, but what was he looking for?"

"My mother."

The silence was deafening. Grayson's mind reeled, spinning. This was the extent of his Dad's grief. This is what drove him to the edge.

Grayson stood and wandered towards the window to look at the ruins of Northbridge below, trying to make sense of it all. But there was no way he could reconcile anything, other than arriving at the conclusion his Dad had to be stopped and he was...grateful to them for doing so, even if they had chosen not to tell him.

The very thought made Grayson cringe. How could he feel that way about his Dad? But how could he condone what Silas had done? The young man knew he couldn't understand and accept anything that night. It would take a long time. But he couldn't wait for that, he had to move forward.

"I have to fix the damage my Dad did." He announced. "But I can't forget about Cassandra either." Grayson turned, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Do you think if you had the resources, you could find her?" Assuming she was still out there.

"Um, I don't know, but I could try." Dax jumped up.

"Okay, I'll give you what you need." He turned his attention to Poppy. "I know that we all want to find her, but I need your help to keep us in check." He hoped that she read the subtext: keeping him in check and not becoming his Dad.

"I can do that." Poppy nodded, resolute.

"Alright. Thank you, both of you." Grayson walked back to the duo.

"We're just glad you got in touch," Poppy replied.

"I'm gonna head home now. I'll see you tomorrow, Dax. Goodnight, Poppy."

"Goodnight, Grayson." "See ya tomorrow."

Grayson strode out and descended the stairwell, two at a time. When the crisp night air hit his skin, he inhaled and exhaled, the tension in his body dissipating. His emotions swirled within him: anger, grief, distress, disappointment. But at least he had a plan.

And Grayson hoped to god it would lead him back to Cassandra.

* * *

A/N: I just finished replaying Hero and I was always so heartbroken that Grayson was kept out of the looooop. He's such a sweetheart and I miss him. And we aren't getting Vol. 2 until next year *hopefully*. If I have time/capacity & there is an interest, I may turn this from a one-shot into a series. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!


End file.
